Canadian M marked No36M grenades

[Infanteer]

I'm curious about the Canadian manufacturer of M marked No36M grenades. I've always understood that M indicated grenades made by Montreal Munitions. However, a friend has suggested that this may not be the case. More than one source including histories of a company called Maxwells Ltd of St. Mary's, Ontario indicate that the company switched all of it's production during WW2 to the manufacture of grenades. If this is correct, could that mean that M actually indicates Maxwells and not Montreal Munitions? Or, could it be that Maxwells produced grenades for one of the other known manufacturers?

Something that I just recently noticed is that I have several M marked grenades but one has the M in a lower position on the body than all of the others I have seen. Simply a variant or something else?

 

[Snufkin]

M monogram is definitely Maxwells Ltd - previously David Maxwell & Sons, St Marys, Ontario. I don't think there was such an entity as Montreal Munitions.

 

[Infanteer]

Interesting. So where did the idea that M stood for Montreal Munitions come from? I tried to search for Montreal Munitions and didn't find anything and that would explain it.

 

[Millsman]

Mistakes linger. I pointed out a while ago that the grenades by 'Barbour Mills ' was wrong. It should be Belfast Committee. The original error was from a book on militaria in the 1970s and is still repeated.

 

[Infanteer]

That certainly is an issue in the collector community.

 

[millsbomber]

Yes and i should change it on my website...... . Dave

 

[Millsman]

Thanks for the updates Dave